If there is a word that keeps being confirmed by intercessors, it is family. From the time IFA was holding ASHP events and intercessors were gathering to rededicate their states and entities to the Lord, the words coming forth were similar. We aren’t just contending for America to remember the covenants on which this nation was founded and to return to her biblical heritage; we’re also fighting for family.

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The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels called for the abolition of our freedoms and individuality, amongst other things. But for them to accomplish their agenda, it called for the destruction of the family. 

“Abolition of the family! … The bourgeois family will vanish as a matter of course … The bourgeois claptrap about the family and education, about the hallowed co-relation of parents and child, becomes all the more disgusting.” -Manifesto of the Communist Party, 1848, Chapter II.

We can see how Marxism has invaded family and education, and the fruit it has brought into families that have adopted this ideology. They view the nuclear family as disgusting. But to God, family is a blessing. Family was God’s idea when He created Adam, the son of God. He then gave Adam a wife, Eve. Together, they would multiply and subdue the Earth. Family has always been foundational to building strong societies. 

So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:27-28). 

Although the Communist Manifesto was published in 1848, the ideology had been developed earlier. It’s believed that as early as the 4th century BCE, Plato described an ideal society in which everything was shared. Before the 4th century, there was Satan. He hates humanity because we were created in God’s image, and he hates family. Which is why he has worked overtime to steal, kill, and destroy it.

After May 17, 2026, when America was rededicated to the Lord, I asked God how to pray next. He said to “pray for and cover families”. What was interesting was that many of IFA’s state leaders were hearing the same words from the Lord. In fact, in my own city, as they gathered in unity to rededicate the city to the Lord, the words that came forth from leaders were about family and covenant. During this time, several people reached out who were being attacked in various ways. The common factor was the family’s need for intercession. A few weeks later, when I was in church, before the message began, the Lord said, ” Keep praying for families,” and also to fast for them. It seems that when Satan targets believers, often the first line of attack is against the family. 

Awaken the Watchmen on the Walls

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat (Nehemiah 4:7-8, 13-14 NIV). 

Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears, and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

While the walls were being filled, the enemies were furious and plotted to fight against Nehemiah. The people were fearful for themselves and their families. But this chapter reveals a strategy for every intercessor. This was their response, “but we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”  The first line of defense was prayer to God. Prayer is always our first option, not a last resort. The second thing they did was post a guard night and day. Though they presumably had literal men watching. Intercessors are watchmen on the walls. Our job is to watch, be vigilant and alert, and pray. This is how we guard the gates of our homes and cities. 

Nehemiah positioned men in the lowest and most exposed places of the wall. These men literally stood in the gaps to protect their families and city. They became the wall of protection. Intercessors are those who stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30). 

The men had literal weapons, swords, spears, and bows. We have the same weapons, however, spiritual. We have the sword of the Spirit as a part of our Christian armor, the Word of God, and when we pray it, it is powerful. In Ephesians 6:11-18, Paul gives us the armor of God, patterned after Roman soldiers. He mentions praying in the Spirit with every kind of prayer and supplication. Many Bible scholars believe that prayer was the spear/lance that the Roman soldiers carried. Spirit-led prayer is the lance we can use to target the enemy. It’s not given mention as clearly as the other pieces of armor. You could say Spirit-led prayer is the secret weapon. 

Also mentioned among the weapons is a bow, which, of course, is used with an arrow. A bow with no arrow wouldn’t provide much protection. Most intercessors are aware that the word “Paga” is used for intercession, meaning to strike the mark amongst other things. A skilled archer who is well-trained rarely misses the target. 

Nehemiah encourages the men, who were weary from building walls, to remember the Lord who is great and awesome. That is a word for us all; we must never forget what the Lord has done for us. Recount, remind yourself of the Lord’s faithfulness. He has already won the war, and through Christ, we win too. We don’t pray for victory; we are victorious in Christ. 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). 

Finally, Nehemiah encourages the men, “Fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14). This word is also for us. We must fight for our families, our children, sons, and daughters. The men were told to fight for their wives, in other words, their marriages. Family is worth fighting for, it’s worth protecting. It’s worth standing in the gap and interceding for. 

Something that has stuck with me since the ASHP rededications was a revelation from Elizabeth Ojutiku, IFA Georgia State Leader. When they held their rededication, they did so at the Liberty Bell replica in their county and placed stones bearing scriptures beneath the bell. This was patterned after Joshua 4, when they built a memorial altar to mark what God had done for them. That altar was for future generations to know the mighty works of the God of their fathers, so his name would never be forgotten through the coming generations. 

Elizabeth talked about a generational revival, and that stuck with me. God is a covenant-keeping and generational God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the family of patriarchs. America desperately needs a revival. But what if this revival looks completely different than what we are expecting? Are we still expecting manifestations like those of past revivals? I’m not speaking against them because He manifested His Presence to that generation in that way. What if what our current generation needs is a family revival? Revival of family in every sense, not just our personal families. What about spiritual mothers and fathers who can mentor the younger generations? I believe we must intercede and fast for families. The fight has been for our families and will continue. Will you be a repairer of the breaches in your home, your city, and your state for families? Here is how we can pray.

When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work (Nehemiah 4:15 NIV). 

• Pray that every plan of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy families will be exposed.

For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore, you will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces (Psalm 21:10-11). 

• Pray that God will frustrate every plan of the enemy. 

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations (Psalm 33:10-11). 

• Pray that watchmen will return to the wall to the work that God called them to. 

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent (Isaiah 62:6). 

• Make time to pray daily and fast as the Lord leads you. 

Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2 AMP). 

Get connected somewhere; the call for intercessors has never been greater. If you don’t have a church you pray with, pray with IFA. There are webcasts you can watch and pray along with every Tuesday and Thursday. Each state has weekly prayer calls that anyone can join. Men, if you are looking for other men to pray with, every second Wednesday of the month, IFA holds a Men of Issachar: prayer call. To find ways to connect, go to the connect section on IFA’s webpage; all the information is there. 

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do (Ephesians 5:16-17 NLT). 

How will you be praying for family? 

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Tá Focando on Unsplash.